POV Tabia
She took one last look at the crowd of girls and turned her gaze toward the pyramid. The music grew louder and louder, and then, through the intertwining branches and leaves of the garden that concealed the path, a solemn procession appeared.
At the front were four Anubis, dressed in their finest garments, adorned with gold and silver embroidery, their staffs raised to the sky. Following them were ten sphinxes, whose faces, usually playful and cheerful, were now serious and full of importance.
The cats stepped softly on the ground, trying to keep in step, and to Tabia's surprise, they managed to do so at times. Finally, after the sphinxes, Netikerti herself appeared.
Apophis sat upon a spacious palanquin, with a backrest and armrests carved from black wood and polished bone. From above, a delicate light-blue silk fabric hung from the canopy, protecting the serpent from the sun.
Netikerti herself appeared in festive attire. On the wrists of her slender but strong arms were bracelets made of the finest demonic silver, each set with enormous rubies at the center. Equally valuable adornments rested on her hips—a heavy precious belt.
Attached to her sculpted chest, with soft violet skin, were petal-shaped pads from which sharpened silver drops hung on chains. Her head was crowned with a cobra-like hood, also crafted from demonic silver.
But no matter how much jewelry adorned Apophis, all of it paled in comparison to her beautiful face. Netikerti possessed perfect features, sensual dark violet lips, and the hypnotizing, piercing gaze of her large yellow eyes with vertical pupils. Adding to this were her toned body, flat, firm stomach, and flexible serpentine tail.
For a moment, Tabia felt pride for the beauty of the great counselor, and at the same time, a tinge of sadness. Despite all her merits, Apophis had no husband. And worse still, she had little chance of finding a suitable man: all the adventurers and lost boys were swiftly captured by lamias and mummies. In this sense, the Anubis guarding the pyramid during the pharaoh's slumber had it much easier. In those times, competition was scarce.
"She's coming! She's coming!" cried a voice from one of the mamono. The rear ranks immediately craned their necks, trying to catch a glimpse of their mistress. A few of the more clever lamias climbed onto sandworms, and holding onto their enormous tusks, waved handkerchiefs joyfully.
The procession quickly approached. In less than ten minutes, Netikerti stood before the crowd in all her enchanting grandeur.
Tabia stepped forward, turned around, and with measured words announced to the assembled monsters:
"Her Excellency, Netikerti Uahne Sit Miraem Heperu!"
She then bowed to Apophis.
"Mistress! Her Majesty's subjects await your word!"
The other mamono also bowed to the Anubis. A near-complete silence fell over the oasis, save for the muffled cursing of the Girtablilu.
"Rise, my dears," Netikerti hissed with maternal tenderness. Her voice, amplified by a special spell, rang out loud and clear.
"How many of you there are! I always thought we had fewer subjects. Come now, admit it, you've been secretly marrying and having daughters, haven't you?" joked Apophis.
Her words lightened the mood. A wave of embarrassed giggles spread through the crowd. The mamono raised their heads and now gazed at the great counselor with renewed interest. Meanwhile, Netikerti snapped her slender fingers with long crimson claws.
The palanquin gently descended onto the grass. Apophis gracefully slid to the ground, and, accompanied by Tabia, walked along the crowd, carefully observing the lamias and mummies. Netikerti stopped before one of the snakes. Tabia blushed deeply—this lamia's face was covered in sherbet, mixed with fine grains of sand.
"What's your name, dear?" Apophis took the girl's relatively clean chin in her hand.
"Kebi," the lamia whispered and lowered her gaze, embarrassed.
"Where did you get so dirty?" Apophis asked with feigned severity. "No man will take such a dirty girl!" From shame, Tabia nearly sank into the ground.
'I didn't keep watch,' she thought desperately, clutching her staff tightly. 'I didn't plan for this!'
The lamia wasn't feeling much better. She almost burst into tears, but managed to hold it in.
"I'm sorry, Mistress," the girl quietly said, sighing sadly.
"This time, I forgive you," Apophis hissed generously. She extended her hand toward Tabia, who instantly understood what was needed and retrieved a silk handkerchief. Netikerti personally wiped the lamia's face, crumpled the sticky cloth, and tossed it casually toward the Anubis. Tabia caught it just before it hit the ground, feeling a great sense of relief: her mistress was in a very good mood.
"She's so kind," a voice from the crowd exclaimed in admiration. Netikerti smiled faintly and continued on. Fortunately for Tabia, no other mamono caught her attention, and once she reached the end of the row, she addressed the Anubis:
"Good job, dear. Now I'll make the announcement!"
The palanquin was immediately lifted into the air and moved toward Netikerti. Apophis climbed onto the litter.
"Sssss... Higher," she commanded. The Anubis attendants made the palanquin rise smoothly several more meters.
"Higher! Good, enough. Listen to me, all of you!" Netikerti declared loudly.
"I, the great counselor, think of you day and night, you little fools. Unlike the pharaoh, who has completely neglected her duties! I think very soon, she'll finally merge with her husband!" Netikerti said harshly, then slyly smiled, licking her lips with her forked tongue. "I'm always thinking, where can we find men?"
Apophis had touched on a sore subject. The mamono listened, holding their breath.
"I thought, thought, and finally, I've come up with something!"
Netikerti paused, then, looking at the frozen monsters, she solemnly announced:
"We will capture El-Farrah!"
Tabia shook her head. The city was beyond their reach. It seemed the same thought had occurred to the other mamono. But when Apophis saw the disappointment on her subjects' faces, she raised her palm.
"You think it's too difficult? No! In the city, we have our friends. The Fallen Goddess, the Goddess, herself has blessed us for this campaign, sending me her priestess. Do you remember the red star? That was a sign. And a week ago, I had a dream—the Kerpi were rolling spheres of demonic energy toward El-Farrah. I interpreted my dream myself. It promises us marriage!"
The faces of the mamono brightened. Everyone had seen the star, and some had even seen the priestess. Plus, the dream. The dream of the greatest counselor of the pharaoh! A prophetic dream!
Netikerti beamed. Her cheeks darkened with a reddish blush. It seemed Apophis was already anticipating the upcoming victory.
"Prepare yourselves!" she loudly proclaimed. "Get ready. Some of you could stand to lose some weight. Sew dresses, clean your jewelry! Soon the priestess will return and tell us about El-Farrah's weaknesses. And then... and then... there will be husbands for all!"
The snake fell silent, and for a split second, there was a dead silence over the oasis.
"Hooray!" the first lamia, whose face had been wiped by Apophis, cried out. "Hooray!"
Her shout was immediately echoed by others. The air trembled with the enthusiastic cheers.
"Hooray! Hooray! Hooray! Husbands!"
And so much joy, hope, and dreams filled the voices of the young monsters, that even the Girtablilu stopped swearing and approvingly clicked their claws.